Engineered Shale Completions Based on Common Drilling Data

Current best practices in North America’s shale basins deliver inconsistent production results because of a lack of reservoir understanding along the lateral. Reservoir data is difficult and expensive to obtain in horizontal sections; therefore, most completions are designed geometrically, with little or no concern for reservoir heterogeneity. In this study, the authors demonstrate a reliable, cost-effective methodology that empowers shale operators with reservoir data on every well.

Introduction

The industry needs a reliable, low-cost reservoir-evaluation methodology that can be leveraged to deliver an engineered completion on every lateral. Such a technique would make engineered completions part of the factory approach on every lateral completed.

The solution described in the complete paper starts with data that already exist on every lateral. Current drilling practices include use of an electronic drilling recorder that collects data such as weight on bit (WOB), torque (TOR), rotational speed (RPM), rate of penetration (ROP), mud-flow rate (Q), standpipe pressure (SPP), and differential pressure (DIFP) on every well. The completions department can leverage these data to drive superior well productivity through a drilling parameter known as mechanical specific energy (MSE).

This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 174839, “Engineered Shale Completions Based on Common Drilling Data,” by W.D. Logan, C&J Energy Services, prepared for the 2015 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, 28–30 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed.